Oyster Parasite Grown In Lab

SCIENCE & MEDICINE - Scope

May 2, 1993

One of the biggest killers of oysters along the Atlantic and Gulf coasts has been grown in a laboratory dish, raising hope that researchers can learn how to fight the parasite. Dermo, or Perkinsus marinus as it is scientifically known, and another organism known as MSX have devastated oyster populations from New Jersey to Texas. Being able to grow dermo in the lab means scientists can now study what it feeds on, how it attacks oysters and maybe even develop a strain of oysters resistant to the organism, said Gerardo Vasta of Baltimore's Center of Marine Biotechnology.